Here’s a unique opportunity to support our ex-service personnel by buying a raffle ticket to try and win this exceptional hand-crafted ‘guitar music table‘.
Love Andover and Andover Radio are supporting local organisation Forces Re-Engineered to help raffle this bespoke, one-off table to raise money for Forces Re-Engineered and Veterans in Action.
Forces Re-Engineered was set up by Stephen West and is a social enterprise that seeks to honour injured ex-services men and women by providing the opportunity to start a new career in the motor industry and become a qualified motor technician.
The Forces Re-Engineered workshop on Walworth Industrial Estate offers apprenticeships to give a new start to people who need assistance reintegrating from the forces into civilian life.
The Community Interest Company (CIC) ensures that profits are reinvested to improve and progress their training facilities.
One of the ways Steph combats PTSD is through his ‘Problem Resolution Tables’, these are bespoke made tables. The tables present a problem solving activity to occupy and focus.
Steph says,“In 2015 I started working with, my current apprentice, John in my garage at home as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, (PTSD) was becoming apparent after leaving the forces.
“It is difficult to understand what PTSD is, it seem a huge, mountain like, problem. So the idea to help John that if problems are broken down they are easier solvable, the ‘problem resolution tables’ were born.
“John had seen tables I had built and building the enthusiasm for him to have a go was easy.
“So from cleaning, to get paint to stick, and to stop leaving oil marks everywhere to amalgamating different metals and getting the top to be level; all supplied a large amount of challenges and an enormous amount of patience.
We have been having lots of laughs, frustration and anger, but the tables always got build and donated to charities. That is until I started Forces Re-Engineered a non profit making community interest company; now we still donate some but also sell them to help buy equipment.
Steph and John have built this table (See below) which has a fully working sub so you can plug your phone into and play music from. Here at Love Andover we have teamed up with Forces Re-engineered to raffle this table off to raise money for Veterans In Action (VIA) and Forces Re-engineered.
Steph adds, “I have always supported what Veterans in Action do and have decided that in partnership with Love Andover to raffle the table and split the money between Veterans in Action and Forces Re-Engineered CiC. So all we need is people to by tickets”
The table is located at Love Andover HQ on the High Street and will be on display at the Andover Festival Of Motoring where you can purchase raffle tickets.
Raffle tickets are £5.00 and you can also purchase tickets via the Love Andover website.
Tickets will also be available at local businesses with the aim to raise as much money for VIA and Forces Re-engineered.
Ben Tuffin from Andover Radio says, “Forces Re-engineered are a brilliant organisation that provide a great platform for ex service men and women, we are huge supporters of the Armed Forces and veterans, we work closely with VIA and the military community.
“The table that Steph and John have built is incredible and has taken months to build and anyone would love to have this in their home. So get your raffle tickets for your chance to own this table”.
Business who wish to help sell raffle tickets to raise money for the two locally-based charitable organisations are asked to contact Love Andover for more information here.
